State Advises Rabies Shots For Livestock

February 22, 1992

Agriculture Commissioner John R.H. Blum recommended Friday that farmers vaccinate their livestock, including horses, against rabies, which is being spread in Connecticut by wild animals, especially raccoons.

"All species of livestock are susceptible to rabies and, if infected, pose a serious health risk to humans," he said. Blum said there have been nearly 300 instances in which domestic animals have been exposed to the virus in the last few years.

Blum said the department also has issued guidelines for confining vaccinated and unvaccinated livestock suspected of having been exposed to the rabies virus. An unvaccinated animal, for example, cannot be removed from a farm without permission of the state veterinarian